Ye Zhen took this opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck. After letting Lu Beichuan kiss and nip her neck for a while, she quietly giggled by Lu Beichuan's ear and said, "My period came today."

Emotions had been running high, and their bodies were intimately clinging to each other. Lu Beichuan had already been carried away by Ye Zhen's teasing, so when she said these words, it was as if she poured a basin of cold water over him. Chilling him inside and out.

"You..." Lu Beichuan's gaze was still heated. He looked at Ye Zhen, who was underneath him and craftily smiling at him. It took him a while before he was able to speak. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Really?"

"Why would I lie?" Ye Zhen wrapped her arms around Lu Beichuan's neck and kissed his lips in the passing. Not satisfied with small gains, she bit Lu Beichuan's ear.

Lu Beichuan stiffened. His arms muscles were bulging, and his Adam's apple uneasily went up and down. He was doing his best to restrain himself.

Beneath him, Ye Zhen acted innocent. "Sorry, I should have told you in advance."

Lu Beichuan saw the smile in her eyes and closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened his eyes. His voice was very hoarse, but he couldn't help but sound pampering "You..."

He had figured out that Ye Zhen was messing with him, but it was true that he had been excessive during this period.

Lu Beichuan got up, straightened his pajamas, and walked back into the bathroom.

Looking at Lu Beichuan's pitiful back figure, Ye Zhen quietly coughed.

Lu Beichuan was an unapproachable gentleman when he was neatly dressed in a suit. When he took off his suit and laid down in bed, he was a hoodlum that was insatiable after getting the first taste.

When she recalled the first night, Ye Zhen regretted it a lot. When Lu Beichuan was hesitating and at wits' end, she should haven't said, "If it's no good, there's always next time..."

Men can't be provoked, let alone a man that had been suppressing his desires for the past few years.

Ye Zhen now had a full understanding of those words. Lu Beichuan had let Ye Zhen thoroughly understand whether he needed a next time to show his prowess.

This was why Ye Zhen had been showing Lu Beichuan a look of "the boss is unhappy" the past few days.

She had been in the disadvantageous position in the past four days. Now that she had finally gained the upper hand, Ye Zhen was in a very comfortable mood.

The sound of the shower running came from the bathroom. Bored, Ye Zhen picked up the phone and continued reading the online posts. By the time Ye Zhen had finished reading pretty much all of the popular posts, she still hadn't seen Lu Beichuan coming out of the bathroom.

Ye Zhen yawned, put her phone down, and glanced at the clock on the wall. As she recalled that look of forbearance on Lu Beichuan and the strong muscles on his arms and lower abdomen, heat spread through her body. Ye Zhen gradually no longer felt at ease.

The bathroom door opened. Lu Beichuan only had a towel wrapped around his waist. He hadn't completely dried off yet and droplets dripped down the lines of his abs until it was hidden beneath the towel.

Ye Zhen stared at the half-naked Lu Beichuan. The tips of her ears grew hot.

Lu Beichuan wasn't shy at all. His breath had also stabilized a lot. After calmly changing into his pajamas, he laid down next to Ye Zhen. He turned off the lights, drew Ye Zhen to pillow her head on his shoulder, and kissed the top of her head. "Don't go into the office if you're not feeling well. Take two days off and have a good rest at home. Let's sleep."

His strong hand kept her tucked to his side. Ye Zhen could feel the heat radiating from Lu Beichuan. His warm breath blew over her ear, again and again, seemingly inadvertently. That was a very sensitive spot. Uneasy, Ye Zhen rubbed her ear. She shrugged off Lu Beichuan's embrace and rolled to the other side of the bed to sleep with the blanket tightly wrapped around her.

In the end, who was the one being punished?!

blanket. She wanted to cry but had no tears. She wanted to scream.

Lu Beichuan, this bastard, refused to suffer even a little bit!

She tossed and turned. She couldn't fall asleep, but next to her, Lu Beichuan's breathing had evened out. He was soundly asleep. Ye Zhen really wanted to kick him out of bed.

Ye Zhen didn't remember how long she stared at him until she fell asleep. Suddenly, there was movement next to her which woke her up.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes. Just as she was about to ask, she saw Lu Beichuan's figure vanishing from behind the door.

Ye Zhen glanced at the clock on the wall. Only an hour had passed since she had gotten into bed to sleep.

She threw back the blanket, got up, gingerly made her way to the door, opened it, and saw that the door to Zhouzhou's room was open. Weak light spilled out from that room along with Lu Beichuan's coaxing murmurs.

They had been working on weaning Zhouzhou the past few days, but Ye Zhen and Mother Lu couldn't keep a firm heart. As soon as Zhouzhou cried and fussed, they would compromise. Little by little, they had gotten further from succeeding in weaning Zhouzhou.

However, Lu Beichuan wouldn't spoil Zhouzhou and didn't give in. He came home on time every night to feed Zhouzhou the food that Aunty Yue had prepared.

Zhouzhou's act of crying and acting cutely spoiled worked so well for Mother Lu and Ye Zhen, but it didn't work at all in front of this strict father. When he was throwing too big of a tantrum, Lu Beichuan would grab his hand and slap it, which would successfully intimidate him into stopping.

Under this fierce coercion, Zhouzhou didn't dare to rebel against his father.

When he saw Lu Beichuan, it was like a mouse seeing a cat. He couldn't be more well-behaved. If his father told him to open his mouth and eat, then he would do just that. When Lu Beichuan told him to stop crying, he really would stop crying. Lu Beichuan's command was much more effective than Ye Zhen and Mother Lu coaxing him and tempting him with toys.

However, Ye Zhen was worried. If he used this approach to teach Zhouzhou how to behave, would their son not be close to him when he grew up?

Ye Zhen leaned against the doorway. She watched Lu Beichuan holding Zhouzhou and carefully patting his back. He was holding the milk bottle behind his back and by Zhouzhou's mouth. Zhouzhou was sleepily resting his head. on Lu Beichuan's shoulder. Perhaps, it was because the lighting was too dim. Zhouzhou didn't seem to notice that the person holding him and coaxing him was the father that he usually found frightening. He seemed completely at ease right now with an arm around Beichuan's neck. While biting the milk bottle, he was still quietly sobbing. It was obvious that he had recently cried.

As Lu Beichuan held Zhouzhou, he touched his forehead and gently patted him on the back to coax him to sleep. His tone was gentle. He was completely different from the strict father image he had during the day.

Zhouzhou gradually stopped sobbing after being coaxed for a long time. Leaning on his father's shoulder, he slowly fell asleep.

Seeing that Zhouzhou had fallen asleep, Lu Beichuan put him down in the crib, covered him with the blanket, and kissed him on the forehead.

Ye Zhen tiptoed into the room. She glanced at the sweetly sleeping Zhouzhou. There were still tears on his long eyelashes. She quietly asked, "What happened?"

Lu Beichuan hugged his wife and kissed the top of her head. In a lowered voice, he answered, "It's nothing. I heard him cry. Maybe it's because he's hungry. I made him milk. You can go back to bed first."

The mood was just right under the dim light.

Ye Zhen pulled Lu Beichuan's face towards her and kissed him. "You're usually so strict with him. I was worried that you don't like him."

"You and Mom have almost spoiled him rotten. Of course I have to be stricter one." Lu Beichuan joked with her, "Who was the one that said she would be a strict mother back then? And said that she wouldn't let him go down a crooked path? That same person so easily feels distress for him and keeps spoiling and pampering him. Who's the one that won't let me discipline him?"

He was using this to tease her again.

Ye Zhen pouted. "When do I keep you from disciplining him? He's your son. You can discipline him however you like, but you have to be careful. Don't go too far. He's so scared of you. What if he becomes estranged from you when he grows up?"

"Don't worry, I know how to handle this."

In the past, Ye Zhen had been worried that Zhouzhou would go down a bad path due to his family members. They didn't have a bottom line when it came to spoiling him. Thus, she had declared that she would be a strict mother before his birth. However, after Zhouzhou was born, Ye Zhen's bottom line had disappeared.

She had retreated and retreated until there was no space left to retreat to.

Seeing her well-behaved and cute son looking at her with his eyes wide open and acting cutely spoiled in her arms. Hearing him call her mom in his milky voice. Watching as he stumbled towards her, one step at a time. Kissing her and hugging her. How could Ye Zhen bear to say a single harsh word to him? She wished that she could dig out her heart for him. She wanted to give everything that was good in the world to him.

Ye Zhen now fully understood Mother Lu's mood of wanting to move the entire mall home when she had been pregnant with Zhouzhou.

She understood the truth that being too doting to your son would harm him. Blindly indulging and loving your son was detrimental to his development. However, it was so hard to say no to Zhouzhou when he looked at her with his limpid and bright eyes.

Fortunately, there was a stone-hearted father present.

That's why Ye Zhen and Mother Lu weren't able to wean Zhouzhou after half a month of trying, but Lu Beichuan succeeded in a few days.

It was also because of Lu Beichuan that she could spoil their son without worry.

Early next morning, Lu Beichuan and Ye Zhen went to the police station to record their statements.

After Lu Beichuan called the police, they immediately arrested Ye Zhenting. Actually, it couldn't be considered an arrest. The loan sharks had handed him over to the police.

They had gone to the police station in a low-key manner, but as soon as they arrived at the doors of the police station, countless reporters swarmed over from all directions. Who knows where they got the scoop to come here. They surrounded Lu Beichuan and Ye Zhen. The flashing lights from the cameras never stopped.

"Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu, did you come to the police station over the matter of Ye Zhenting's crime of kidnapping and extortion? Is there anything you want to say about this?"

"Mr. Lu, can you reveal any specific details about this kidnapping case?"

"Mrs. Lu, did you come here to testify against your father?"

"Mrs. Lu, according to the rumors, Ye Zhenting owed a debt to loan sharks because of his gambling and that's why he tried to extort 100 million yuan from you. Is that true?"

These questions were all based on hearsay.

Lu Beichuan coldly swept his gaze over them. Ignoring the reporters and new media, he and Ye Zhen entered the police station under the protection of bodyguards.

The officer responsible for recording Ye Zhen's statement led her to a quiet room and went through the routine business of asking her to retell the course of events related to the kidnapping. When Ye Zhen got to the part where Ye Zhenting had held her hostage, the officer asked, "Mrs. Lu, can you describe in detail how Ye Zhenting held you hostage?"

Ye Zhen recalled what happened. "At that time, Ye Zhenting took out a knife from I don't where and stabbed someone, then he grabbed me and held me in front of him with one arm. He had me at knife point."

Lu Beichuan reached out and placed his hand over Ye Zhen's hand.

By the time Lu Beichuan had entered the room, the scene had already changed. That's why he hadn't witnessed the scene she was describing. Listening to how Ye Zhen was downplaying the incident, Lu Beichuan felt fear exploding in his heart.

The neck was the most fragile spot. A light swipe by sharp knife could easily cut an artery or vein. If Ye Zhenting had been more agitated that day, if that injury had been a little bit bigger, a little bit deeper...

Lu Beichuan wasn't willing to deeply think about it.

"Were you injured anywhere?"

Ye Zhen thought it over and placed her hand on her neck, which was covered by a high collar. "Yes, there's a small injury on my neck. It was cut by Ye Zhenting's knife."

"Mrs. Lu, would you mind taking a photo for evidence?"

Ye Zhen very cooperatively said, "I don't mind."

T

he deposition took over an hour to complete. Ye Zhen thoroughly accounted for everything that she knew. She didn't leave out any details, including the buyout of her relationship with the Ye's for 30 million yuan as well as Ye Zhenting's debt to the loan sharks due to his gambling.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation, Mrs. Lu. Rest assured, we'll definitely investigate this matter to the end."

Ye Zhen smiled in response. Just as she was about to leave the police station, she heard clamoring from a distance. The noise came from the spot where they had been besieged by reporters when they entered the police station. It was just that it was now Ye Qing and Mother Ye, who were surrounded by the reporters.

That made sense. Such a big thing had happened with Ye Zhenting. Ye Qing and Mother Ye couldn't continue to pretend they didn't know what was happening.

After finally making her way through the throng of reporters and entering the police station, Mother Ye saw Lu Beichuan and Ye Zhen. She couldn't be bothered to care about other things. She walked over to them in a few steps and asked, "Zhenzhen, what happened? I heard them saying your dad kidnapped you."

Ye Zhen nodded. "I just finished giving my deposition. I said everything that should be said."

"That's impossible!" Mother Ye immediately refuted. "Zhenzhen, listen to me. You must have misunderstood. Although your dad isn't reliable, he knows the seriousness of this type of matter. He definitely wouldn't do something illegal. Is there a misunderstanding between you and him?"

A nearby officer quietly said, "This is the police station. Keep your voice down!"

Lu Beichuan said in a quiet voice, "Mrs. Ye, you can ask the police if you have any questions. My wife has no obligation to answer you."

"Beichuan, did Zhenzhen's dad ask you for money?" Mother Ye entreated, "Beichuan, don't misunderstand. He was in a crisis, so he was desperately grasping at any straw. He owed 40 million yuan to loan sharks. He must have lost his head in desperation at the time. That's why he went to you. We're a family. How can it be considered extortion?"

Lu Beichuan stood in front of Ye Zhen, blocking Mother Ye. He coldly said to Mother Ye, "Mrs. Ye, "Please get it through your head that regardless of the relationship between kidnapper and kidnappee, what happened was undoubtedly kidnapping and extortion."

"Undoubtedly? Zhenting just wanted to find his daughter to drink tea and have a chat. How did that become kidnapping?" Having gone through an upheaval during this period of time, Mother Ye had aged a lot. She was in low spirits and haggard. The dark circles and bags under her eyes couldn't be concealed.

Too much had happened during this time.

The investment had failed, the family company had been acquired, and Ye Zhenting had become addicted to gambling and wasted the 30 million yuan that Mrs. Lu had used to buy out Ye Zhen's relationship with the Ye's. There was still a debt to the loan sharks.

The various things that had led to the Ye's decline with each passing day had mentally and physically exhausted Mother Ye.

Mother Ye had almost fainted when she heard that Ye Zhenting was in jail for kidnapping and extortion.

Ye Zhenting was the pillar of the family. How would she survive if Ye Zhenting was convicted and remained in prison?

Moreover, Ye Zhenting still owed the loan sharks 40 million yuan. Even if she sold their mansion and other items, that wouldn't be enough to pool together 40 million yuan!

She looked at Ye Zhen with tears in her eyes. "Zhenzhen, I know that you hate me, but your dad has never wronged you. Why do you have to push him to a dead end?!"

Mother Ye's criticism made it sound as if Ye Zhen had done something that deserved the condemnation of all.

Ye Qing hastily went forward to support Mother Ye by the arm. She raised her head to look at Ye Zhen, who was sheltered behind Lu Beichuan. A complicated expression passed over her face. It was mostly resentment. How could she not resent Ye Zhen?

They clearly had the same face, but they went on sharply differing paths. Ye Zhen didn't have to do anything; she had Lu Beichuan to solve all of her problems for her. In contrast, she had meticulously planned for herself. Despite that, she had fallen to such a state.

Everything that was meant to be hers - the perfect romance, career, and family - it was all ruined.